Waves of Change

New Site for Waves of Change!

2011-08-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

We are now posting to our new site:
deepdishwavesofchange.org
please change your bookmarks to our new site!

www.deepdishwavesofchange.org

Madrid Book Brigate: Countering the police lines with education

2011-05-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

Photo by Julio Ulanga
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

#acampadabcn
We have come here voluntarily and by free will. After the 15th of May demonstrations we have decided to remain united and grow in numbers on our fight for dignity. We do not represent any political party and they do not represent us.

We are united on our rage, our discomfort, our precarious life which is derived by inequality but, above all, what keeps us together is our will for change. We are here because we want a new society that puts our life on top any political or economic interest. We feel crushed by the capitalist economy, we feel excluded from the present political system which does not represent us. We are striking for a radical change in society. And, above all, we aim at keeping society as the sole driver of this transformation.

They thought we were asleep. They thought they could carry on cutting our rights without finding any resistance. But they were wrong: we are fighting – peacefully, but with determination – for the life we deserve.

We have learned from Cairo, Iceland and Madrid.
Now it’s time to extend the fight and spread the word.

Information #acampadabcn
http://acampadabcn.org/
acampadabcn.wordpress.com
acampadabcn@yahoo.es
http://desrealitat.blogspot.com/
Timetable (daily until we remain camped)

19:00h – Work committee
19:30h – Coordination and preparation of the general meeting
21:00h – Popular “frying-pan” protest
********************
From OVNI:
hola amigoas!...

en / at
http://desrealitat.blogspot.com/

Public Control of Cell Phones

2011-04-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

A discussion about the politics of cell phone use - from the exploitation involved in the mining of coltan (an essential mineral used in consumer electronics) to the domination of phone companies.

This discussion took place at Bluestockings, during the event "Independent Media, Technology, and Self-Determination Struggles in Nigeria" on March 27, 2011.

Emem Okon of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center in the Niger Delta and Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Reporters will speak to the role of communications technology in struggles against political corruption and oil exploitation in Nigeria. Jamie McClelland of MayFirst/PeopleLink will address the changing role of communications technology in the internationalization of such struggles, and lead a discussion on what is to be done to seize this moment. This is the third of a series of reportbacks form the fourth IMC-Africa Convergence, held last month in Dakar, Senegal. Facilitated by Amy Dalton and Nicole Hummel.

More information about the panelists and the event can be found athttp://nyc.indymedia.org/or/2011/03/114534.html

Gigi Sohn on Internet Regulation

2011-03-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

Benghazi Media Center to Report Battle

2011-03-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

WEST AFRICA SIMMERING: Interview with Sphinx and Niger Delta Women

2011-03-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.radiohive.org

hosted by Nicole Hummel on Mar 08, 2011

From the Indymedia Africa Convergence, to a recent crackdown on hip-hop activists in Senegal, to women fighting back in the Niger Delta, to a new community radio in Mali… Tonight Best of Both Worlds explores the uprising that is simmering West Africa. Tune in for stories from women’s movements in the Niger Delta, music and updates from the musicians/activists of Keur Gui, and an interview with Indymedia’s Sphinx.

Featuring music from the Lijadu Sisters (Nigeria) and Keur Gui (Kaolack, Senegal).

Best of Both Worlds - West Africa Simmering: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (51)

TV Serrana Comes to the US March/April 2011

2011-03-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

everyone has something to say

2011-02-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Blufields School of Music

2011-02-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

French Data Network Access in Egypt

2011-01-28T21:44:00.001-08:00

Censure de l'internet en Égypte : une humble action de FDN

Par Arnaud Luquin le vendredi 28 janvier 2011, 16:11 - NEUTRALITE DU NET

Cette nuit les instances dirigeantes égyptiennes semblent d'après cet article avoir ordonné aux fournisseurs d'accès internet égyptiens d'éteindre leurs interconnexions internationales, donc avec le reste d'internet.

Cette action fut d'une effroyable efficacité, aujourd'hui, l'internet a «désappris» à joindre l'Égypte et il n'est plus possible de communiquer avec les égyptiens que ce soit par mail, forum, usenet ou quelque technologie basée sur IP.

Dans la foulée, ce matin, les SMS semblent également êtres coupés privant le peuple égyptien de tout moyen de communication électronique.

Pour cette raison, et parcequ'il s'agit bien d'une attaque flagrante d'un état contre internet, FDN a décidé d'ouvrir une petite fenêtre sur le réseau en mettant a disposition de qui le souhaite un compte d'accès RTC.

Par ce biais, n'importe qui en égypte disposant d'une ligne téléphonique analogique capable de joindre la France a la possibilité de se connecter au réseau par le n° suivant : +33 1 72 89 01 50. (login: totopassword: toto).

Nous espérons contribuer par ce biais à la liberté d'expression des égyptiens et leur permettre de conserver un lien avec le monde. Rappelons enfin que FDN n'offre qu'une solution technique et uniquement technique.

Changing location!

2011-01-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

We're working on a new web page and have the new blog set up.
Go to:
http://www.deepdishwavesofchange.org

Once on the new page, you can go to either the map, the blog, or to one of the selected videos at the bottom. You can also search for people, locations or issues on the bottom of the page. The search pulls up links to the blog, the map and articles. Check out the articles! Check out the photos! Both of those are at the "Library" column.

Please give feedback as to how the site can work better for you!
Feel free to comment on any of the posts.
If you know of community projects or articles, please send to
deepdishtelevision@gmail.com

Reconstruction of Community Media Slow in Haiti

2011-01-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

**Remembering Haiti, One year On**
from the World Association of Christian Communication

One year after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti killing over 250,000 people and paralyzing its communications and information infrastructure, reconstruction of the country is slowly gaining momentum.

Professor Ary Regis, President of WACC- Caribbean Region and based in Haiti, reports that communication in general has been re-established and local media have resumed operations. However, he cautioned that re-construction of community media has been slow and hampered by a myriad challenges. "Community radio stations are very fragile right now. In certain cases they have been wiped out by commercial media which have moreresources and better means of recovery", he said.

According to Regis, the situation has been exacerbated by the country's fragile economy, political and social unrest. "There are fewer volunteers working in community radio stations because of the bad economy".

These and other challenges are hindering local communities from voicing their needs, said Regis in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince. Soon after the earthquake, WACC launched an appeal to raise funds to rebuild community media in the country. Nearly 60,000 Dollars were raised through donations from WACC members and friends. The donations have been used to re-construct and re-equip three community media networks run by WACC partners. They include Rezo Fanm Radyo Kominote Ayisyen (REFRAKA), Medialternatif Group/&Alterpresse and Social Animation and Communication Society (SAKS).

Marie Guyrleine Justin, Coordinator of REFRAKA, was grateful to WACC for re-equipping and reconstructing the station. "Thanks to the financial and technical support by WACC, a lot of the work spaces have been re-equipped and re-vamped.â•ˇ The radio station is now operating
from a new studio, she said, adding that the network has also conducted radio production training workshops for young people.

Justin, however laments that most of the community radio stations in the country are isolated and far from the cities and that there are hardly any women radio presenters. "˛The majority of women don't have access and are not trained", she noted.

Gotson Pierre, Executive Director of Alterpresse said that operations at Medialternatif Group&Alterpresse had resumed since acquiring new equipment. "We have been temporarily renting space in Petionville but we will relocate to our own premises in April this year." The
network has produced seven videos since May 2010.

Pierre, however, observed that full recovery of the network's operations still has a long way to go. "Although we are carrying out training, the re-construction has been delayed by other social
problems such as re-building the education system and unemployment."

He emphasized that community media are equally crucial as they are independent spaces where people can freely express and experience their human and social rights.

"Community media represent the link between the people and the state. It is a space to ask questions and to reflect. It is the sole reference point for local communities, a source of information and knowledge", he said.

WACC General Secretary, the Rev. Karin Achtelstetter, affirmed WACC's ongoing commitment and concern for the members and partner organizations that have worked in Haiti for many years. She thanked members and friends who supported the Haiti re-construction fund. "This is an expression of the global solidarity of our network", said Achtelstetter.

To donate and learn more about the Haiti Fund, please go to:
http://www.waccglobal.org/en/activities/haiti-appeal.html
For more information contact: Terry Mutuku: MT@waccglobal.org
Communications Officer and Web Manager, WACC

Museo Del Barrio in New York City Celebrates the 3 Kings Day, January 6, 2011

2011-01-08T10:35:00.001-08:00

The Museo del Barrio of New York City celebrates the Three Kings Day Parade on January 6, 2011.
The honorary kings are Lynda Baquero, WNBC Correspondent, Jesus "Papoleto" Melendez, poet and playwright and Julian Zugazagoitia, former Director of the Museo. Talent participating include Harlem Drummers, Trio Romanze, Children's Aid Society Choir and the Soul Tigers Marching Band.
Part Two

From the Museo's booklet on Three Kings' Day:
Although we usually take today‘s Christmas celebration customs for granted, most of the so-called ̳traditional‘ Christmas practices we are familiar with only date back to the 19th century in the United States. It was in the 4th century that the Roman Catholic Church adopted December 25 as the Christmas holiday, choosing a date that coincided with pagan festivals of the Winter solstice. Prior to this date, January 6 was the Christian day of celebration in many parts of Europe, including Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Even today, throughout Europe, the holiday celebration does not end until this date, marking the end of the ̳twelve days of Christmas‘ between Christmas and January 6. This is also often referred to as the Twelfth Day. In the United States, the holiday season for most ends after New Year‘s Day, however, for some Latinos the festivities continue throughout the months of January and early February. In some Latin American and Caribbean countries, Three Kings Day, or El Día de Reyes, is celebrated annually as one of the most joyous days of the holiday season. The day is also sometimes referred to as El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos or Day of the Three Wise Kings. Observed on January 6, it is recognized by Christians as the Epiphany, a feast day in the Anglican, Eastern, and Roman Catholic churches that commemorates the biblical story of the Three Kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts for the infant Jesús. Like Christmas or Navidad, in some Spanish-speaking countries including Spain, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico among others, Three Kings Day is a religious holiday that has become a popular, cultural event. Celebrated with music, singing, family gatherings, and the sharing of food, Three Kings Day is a holiday that conveys the spirit of giving. The tradition promotes a sense of community, and emphasizes diversity, sharing, and reciprocity.

The Story of the Three Kings During the 1st century, astrologers, or seers of the future, foretold the advent of a divine king who was believed to be born God incarnate. Many argued about who would be the divine king as well as when and where he would arrive. The most commonly agreed prediction was that a child would be born and that he would be named Emmanuel, meaning ̳God is with us.‘ Astrologers predicted this child would bring peace and ultimately change the course of history. It is said that the Three Kings may have practiced astrology, and thus may have each seen this prediction forecast in the stars. The Kings are also known as the Three Wise Men or the Magi. Magi is plural for magus, a word that may refer to shaman or ̳wise man‘ and is the origin of the words magic and magician. In ancient Persian cultures, the magi were responsible for funerary and religious rites.
According to the Gospel of Matthew (2:1–13), the only biblical account of the event, the Magi came from ―the East‖ to first visit Herod (appointed governor of Judea by the Roman Empire) in Jerusalem, asking him where the new King could be found. Herod, troubled by the news of a new king, sent them to Bethlehem, and asked that they return when they had found him. According to legend, in order to greet the infant Jesús, the Magi traveled over a long distance guided night and day by a brilliant star that shined in the sky. The legend states that the Star of Bethlehem was located directly overhead of the location where the infant Jesús was born. When they arrived, they appeared before the baby, and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

During the holiday season, many Latin Americans and Latinos erect nativities, small or sometimes life-sized figures representing the scene of the birth of Jesús, in their homes, in Churches, and in public spaces. As the legend describes, the nativity scene, known in Spanish as el nacimiento, is usually set in a humble stable, with the figures of Mary and Joseph, as well as shepherds and their animals. The figure of the baby Jesús is added on December 25, the day he was thought to be born.
In parts of Los Angeles, it is common to see nacimientos in front yards. Some residents include hundreds of animals and shepherds. Special tours of these nacimientos are now offered. Near Downtown L.A., along historic Olvera Street, a colorful and music-filled reenactment of the journey of the Three Kings is performed every year.
In Mexico, Mary and Joseph‘s search for shelter is re-enacted during Las Posadas, a nine- day celebration between December 16 and Christmas Eve. During these special celebrations, a family may host a party at their home to welcome the arrival of a nativity procession. The family and shepherds seeking shelter, played by children, are followed by musicians and adults who sing carols outside the home. The event concludes with the sharing of traditional foods and the breaking of a piñata. Also in Mexico, pastorelas, or shepherds plays, are staged throughout the holidays by professional and amateur groups. These traditional, often improvised, theatrical presentations date back to Mexico's Colonial period, and tell the story of the shepherds‘ and Three Kings‘ journey to find the infant Jesús in Bethlehem. In some countries, a special celebration of the nativity is held on January 5, the Eve of Three Kings Day. This day is also referred to as La Vispera de Reyes. Children dress up as characters of the nativity and perform in plays or pageants that recount the story. On this day families also add the figures of the Three Kings to the nativity scene in their home or in public spaces. In some cases, like the Three Kings, visitors to the nativity bring gifts of money or food to offer the infant Jesús.
The Origin and Iconography of the Three Kings In the story described in the Bible‘s Book of Matthew, the Three Kings are said to have come from the East. If they were traveling to Bethlehem, then it can be surmised that they came from either Asia or Africa. However, again generations recount the story in a myriad of ways. Christian depictions as early as the 6th century represent the Three Kings in Persian garb. In the 13th century, Marco Polo‘s writings refer to the Kings as having hailed from Persia or present-day Iran. Parts of this story as told today are attributed to another book written in the 14th century, History of the Three Kings, by the cleric John of Hildesheim, who states that the Kings hail from "Ind, Chaldea, and Persia,‖ referring to India, Babylon (or present day Iraq), and Iran. Still other accounts tell of each King having traveled from a different part of the world, specifically Europe, Africa and Asia. It is believed that this version of the story dramatizes the arrival of various nations from different continents into the Christian faith. A similar personal twist has been added to the story in Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America, where the origin of the Three Kings is believed to represent the three dominant ancestries of the region: indigenous, African and European.
Although the Bible‘s Book of Matthew does not specify the total number of kings that came to visit Jesús, nor their names or their specific places of origin, in the West, the Three Kings are widely recognized as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar. As the scripture mentions three gifts were offered, perhaps it was assumed that there were three kings.
Eduardo Vera Cortéz Programa de Navidad, 1978 Silkscreen, 30 3/8 x 18 7/8 in (77.2 x 47.9 cm) Published by: División de Educación de la Comunidad (DivEdCo) Collection El Museo del Barrio, NY, W91.920.2
Melchor (or Melchior) was known to have brought the gift of gold to Jesús. As one of the most precious metals, gold is a symbol of charity, suitably fit to be a gift bestowed for a king. In many accounts Melchor was an Arabic sultan or ruler. In Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America he represents a Moor or Northern African. In this way, Melchor references the Moorish heritage of Spain since most of Spain was under Moorish rule for eight hundred years. This is still a similar representation as the Moors in Spain spoke Arabic. However in Puerto Rico he is represented with a dark brown complexion, thus representing not just Northern Africans, but the people of the whole continent of Africa. Melchor‘s feast day in the Catholic Church is January 7.
Gaspar (also known as Caspar, Casper or Jasper) is usually represented as an emperor of the Orient. He is depicted as a youth of light complexion. Because of his young age he is seldom depicted with a beard. In some cases he is believed to be of Asian origin. Caspar is associated with the gift of frankincense. In Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America, he is often represented with a bronze complexion and is believed to represent the indigenous heritage of Latin Americans. His
feast day in the Catholic Church is January 6.
In European accounts and in some Latin American
countries, Balthasar (also known as Baltasar or Baltazar) is depicted as a Nubian prince from Ethiopia. For this reason he is represented as a man with a dark brown complexion. He is believed to have brought the gift of myrrh, a resin from trees native to Africa. As Ethiopia is regarded by some as the birthplace of Christianity, it is significant that this region of Africa is represented in the legend. However, considering that in Puerto Rico and some other Latin American countries, Melchor becomes the King to represent the continent of Africa, the significance of Balthasar changed to represent a king from the West, or rather a European king of a pale complexion. In this way, Balthasar in some parts of Latin America represents the European presence that arrived in the late 15th century. His feast day in the Catholic Church is
January 8.
The Gifts of the Three Kings Even though the Three Kings did not know who Jesús was, they predicted that a child who would become king was born in Bethlehem. To honor the infant, the Three Kings carried gifts fit to bestow a king. Legend states that the gifts consisted of gold, myrrh, and frankincense, brought as symbols of charity, hope and faith. Each of the Kings transported their gifts in ciboria, ornate containers or vessels. The Kings did not expect anything in return, other than the opportunity to meet this new baby king. This tradition is slightly different than what we associate with the holidays today as it does not represent a gift exchange. Additionally, the gifts offered by the Three Kings had a much more spiritual or symbolic value rather than a material value.

Many Christians believe that it was Melchor who brought the gift of gold to Jesús, although in some cases this gift is associated with Caspar. Gold is a precious metal that is widely coveted around the earth by different people. It is a symbol of royalty and was offered to Jesús to mark him as an ―earthly king.‖ According to the legend surrounding the holiday, at the time Jesús was born, King Herod learned that three wise men or Magi were searching for a newborn king. Feeling threatened he demanded that the Magi inform him of the baby king‘s whereabouts. Instead the Magi secretly left Bethlehem, never informing Herod of the baby they had just met. In retaliation, Herod ordered that all baby boys born in Bethlehem be killed. Jesús‘ family was instructed to flee to Egypt where he would be safe. It is believed that the gift of gold from the Three Kings financed the family‘s long trip to Egypt from Bethlehem.
The gift of myrrh is usually associated with Balthasar. Although in the Puerto Rican community he is thought to be of European descent, elsewhere he is commonly viewed as a Nubian king from Ethiopia, a place where myrrh is of high importance and readily available. Myrrh is a type of resin that comes from the sap of a tree in Africa and is collected collected for the purpose of burning incense mostly. Myrrh is believed to have medicinal and spiritual properties. It is said that Jesús was offered the gift of myrrh because if he accepted it, then it would mark him as a healer. In biblical stories, the child did accept the myrrh and his short life was characterized by miraculous acts in which he was able to heal various people.
In many places in Latin America, frankincense was thought to have been brought by King Caspar. In other places, frankincense is associated with King Balthasar. Similar to myrrh, frankincense is collected from the sap of a special tree. It is mostly found in Somalia, a country in North Africa that borders Ethiopia and Kenya, and from the Middle Eastern country of Arabia. In the time of Jesús and the Magi, kings were not necessarily crowned but were instead anointed with precious perfumed oils in a special ceremony. Frankincense has the same association to royalty as it was a precious scent used by important people such as kings and priests. As such, it was used by the Magi to anoint the new baby king. It is said that the gift of frankincense was brought with the intention that if the baby Jesús accepted it, it would mark him as a god. As incense, frankincense is still burned and associated with prayer in many churches throughout the world, including the Roman Catholic Church. Another use for frankincense was found among the Egyptians who burned the charred powder into kohl, a black substance they used to create the thick eyeliner seen in so many examples of Egyptian art.
Today, many people in Latin America and the Caribbean and those of Latin American descent living in the United States, continue to follow the Three Kings‘ tradition. Most notably the traditions of gift giving, singing of aguinaldos (holiday carols), parrandas (door-to-door caroling), and the sharing of food and sweets embody the kind spirit of the Three Kings. Although some of these customs may vary slightly from place to place, the message of sharing with friends and family is a common theme that is celebrated in similar rich and festive ways.
Mirroring the gifts offered by the Three Kings, many people in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and other Latin American and Caribbean countries exchange gifts or regalos on January 6. Although today many people have adopted the U.S. custom of exchanging gifts on Christmas Day, most still reserve a few gifts to open twelve days later on Three Kings‘ Day. Young children wait for this day with great anticipation, eagerly waiting to receive special gifts from ̳the kings‘ or their parents, families, and friends.
In Puerto Rico, the spirit of benevolence is returned to the Kings as exemplified by the gifts offered by young children and their parents on the Eve of Three Kings Day. Given the island‘s tropical climate, the Puerto Rican tradition recognizes that the Kings rode horses instead of camels on their journey. In light of this, on the Eve of Three Kings Day, or La Vispera de Reyes, children gather grass, hay, and water and place it in shoeboxes under their beds to feed the Kings‘ horses. Some children also set out their shoes next to the boxes under the bed. Their parents often set out pastries or sweets for the Three Kings. On Three Kings Day morning, children discover the pastries and food left for the Kings and animals are gone. Instead, the food is replaced with gifts, candy, or nuts that the Kings have left for them. Similarly, in Mexico, children write letters to the Three Kings requesting special gifts analogous to the tradition of writing a letter to Santa Claus. On the Eve of Three Kings Day, children leave their shoes near their bed or window, often filling them with hay for the camels and horses. The next morning, when the children wake up, the hay is gone and the shoes are filled with gifts...
For over 30 years, El Museo del Barrio has presented the Three Kings Day Parade on January 6, as well as other educational and public programming with the purpose of keeping the Three Kings traditions alive. Each year, El Museo‘s dynamic parade, led by the giant Three Kings puppets, winds through the streets of El Barrio and includes lively music, colorful costumes, animals, floats, and thousands of students and community members as participants. The parade route ends with a gift distribution for the children who have marched in the parade sponsored by generous donors. Leading up to the event, El Museo, along with a steering committee of community leaders nominates ―Three Kings‖ to preside over the Parade. Being chosen as a King is recognition for outstanding cultural or political achievements within the Latino communities of New York. These honorary Kings, along with selected madrinos and padrinos, (godmothers and godfathers) lead the parade through the streets of East Harlem, dressed in elaborate costumes that are cared for by the Museum. Over the years, El Museo has presented exhibitions in our galleries that feature artworks from the Museum‘s Permanent Collection associated with this holiday such santos de palo, hand-carved wooden statues created by master artisans as posters, posters from the División de Educación de la Comunidad (DIVEDCO) that celebrate the tradition of El Día de los Reyes, and the giant Three Kings puppets. During these three decades, El Museo has distinguished itself as the leading institution in New York City that celebrates and promotes the Three Kings Day tradition.

El Museo‘s Three Kings Day Puppets
Our gigantic puppets are central to El Museo‘s annual Three Kings Parade. In 1978 when we created the parade, museum staff and artists contributed to producing its props and decorations. Our original puppets reflected the Three Kings Day legend and were used in over thirty performances in the cold winter weather. Popular Christian culture depicts the Three Kings arriving to Jerusalem to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. According to legend, each king brought an offering that came from his respective homeland. King Gaspar brought incense from Asia; King Melchior brought gold from the Middle East; and King Balthazar brought myrrh from Africa.
In our 33rd Annual Three Kings Day Parade, we welcomed our new generation of puppets created by El Museo‘s artist educator Polina Porras. This year, we are exhibiting these giant puppets, which will be part of our annual parade on January 6, 2011. These beautiful 12 feet tall creations are made of paper maché, color fabrics, and a carefully crafted structure that allows for graceful movement. To the traditional representation, the artist has added a new source and inspiration based on Taíno cosmological traditions. Melchior, who represents the night sky, has black and dark blue clothes and carries a present that symbolizes the celestial dome shaped in the form of a bat—which in Taíno tradition signifies the connection with the ancestors. Gaspar, who represents the connection between the celestial and the under worlds—which in Taíno tradition are connected by the Ceiba tree—wears green and brown clothes and carries as a present the base of a Ceiba tree trunk. Balthazar, who represents the underworld, wears light blue and turquoise clothes and carries as a present a seashell with a turtle coming out of it, which represents the birth of Taíno culture.
The synergy of the Christian and Taíno traditions wonderfully embodied by our new puppets, perfectly synthesize the unique cultural mix that characterizes our community as well as El Museo del Barrio‘s mission.

Victoria Sigue: English Version of Radio Victoria Documentary

2011-01-08T05:08:00.000-08:00

A small community radio station in El Salvador stands up to threats from death squads and rallies the community against violence and degradation of the environment.Part One:
Part Two:

Makeda of the World Beat Center Explains Kwanzaa to School Children

2011-01-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, Makeda “Dread” Cheatom founded the WorldBeat Center (WBC) in Balboa Park and began hosting the 91X Sunday-night Reggae Makossa program. Her goal—fostering a broader appreciation of various cultures—resonates both locally and globally.
Dedicated to presenting and preserving African and indigenous cultures, the WBC welcomes visitors of all ages with low-cost classes and presentations in dance, drumming and art, including classes for the developmentally disabled. Its Day of the Drum Global Music and Dance Festival is October 8. The center’s garden is a springboard for school projects in collaboration with local organic farmers and the Ocean Beach People’s Co-op....

Youth have a resounding place at the WBC; they learn public relations skills, stage lighting and video, and they assist in producing shows. A teen group built its own sound studio at the center, which also has radio and TV stations, as well as a recording label.

In 2005, Cheatom founded the Give a Hug Foundation after visiting an orphanage in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. In addition to the orphanage, beneficiaries include Hurricane Katrina victims, a Burmese preschool in Thailand, refugees in Ghana, a library in Costa Chica, Mexico, and a cultural center in Peru.“Helping others makes me less greedy,” Cheatom says. “People should try it; it’s a good antidote. You’re supported by a sacred energy. We’re taught that happiness is outside, in acquiring. Be still and look at what’s inside.”................from the San Diego Magazine

Art of Resistance in Haiti

2011-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

AS IF Gallery is proud to present the art works of the children's group, Ti Moun Rezistans, whose studio is at the Atis Rezistans art school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Complementing the children's work will be a small selection of Daniel Morel's iconic photographs of the children and their surroundings in the throws of the Haitian earthquake which took place in January, 2010. Also included is Les Indiens, a large-format photograph by Phyllis Galembo, depicting four children in contemporary ritual costumes from the Jacmel Carnival in Haiti in the decade before the island's devastation.

On January 12th, 2010, Daniel Morel was busy photographing the artwork of the children of the Atis Rezistans in the courtyard of their school in Port-au-Prince when the historic 7.0 earthquake struck. His pictures of the moments just before and after the devastation became the most widely distributed and iconic images of that disaster. But the passage of these photographs to global prominence was far from smooth. As powerful aftershocks rocked the city, Morel made his way along the shattered Grande Rue to the still standing Oloffson Hotel, photographing the wreckage and pandemonium that he witnessed en route. At the hotel Morel connected to the internet, created a web account, and directly uploaded his pictures to facilitate their instant dissemination to news media and wire services worldwide. Morel hoped to show the unimaginable scope of the destruction even as it was occurring, so that the task of organizing aid could begin without delay. His staggering pictures of flattened structures and shocked, dust-covered survivors appeared throughout the world within hours, and came to define the Haitian disaster as it was unfolding.

Daniel Morel, Ti Moun Rezistans at Atis Rezistans Art School, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 12, 2010, C-print

Ti Moun Rezistans is the name of a Haitian children's group in Port-au-Prince who study art with the more established members of the Atis Rezistans collective, also known as the Grand Rue Sculptors. Atis Rezistans was founded in 2000 by the artists Jean Hérard Celeur and André Eugène, and set up at the south end the Grande Rue, in a close-knit neighborhood where traditional handicraft workshops are hemmed in by car repair outfits, scrap metal dealers, and junkyards. Over the last decade the Grand Rue Sculptors have exhibited their work throughout the world to considerable acclaim. "Their powerful sculptural assemblages made from engine manifolds, TV sets, wheel hubcaps and discarded lumber have transformed the detritus of a failing economy into bold and radical sculpture. They reference a shared African/Haitian cultural heritage, a dystopian sci-fi view of the future and the transformative act of assemblage." (Atis-rezistance website) Ti Moun Rezistans was established to expand the horizons, powers of expression, and most importantly, the earning capacity of the impoverished children of Port-au-Prince. The children of Ti Moun have also exhibited their artworks widely and sell them directly through their own email addresses, websites and in person at the Atis Rezistans studio in Port-au-Prince.

29 Manhattan Avenue, New York, NY 10027

(AS IF Gallery is located at the NW corner of 122nd Street and Manhattan Avenue on the ground floor)
www.asifgallery.com

Youth Group in Afghanistan Reaches Out for Peace

2011-01-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

For the last several years, a group of young Afghani’s in the Bamyan province of Afghanistan have been on “Our Journey To Smile” (http://ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/). This journey to smile is their effort to bring about peaceful nonviolent solutions to conflicts in Afghanistan using the principles taught by Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others.object height="305" width="420">
Afghanistan – The People’s

Afghanistan – The People’s December Review

December 27, 2010 by
Filed under Journey Updates

Oregon reservation radio shows power of tiny station

2010-12-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

http://www.kcuwradio.org/

Dec. 29, 2010, 3:19 p.m. PST Associated Press PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — One of Bill Young's earliest memories is listening to Elsie Conner tell him stories about Coyote as he fell asleep. As an adult, he held that memory dear, even though he couldn't remember the stories themselves.

Now he is revitalizing those stories by reading them on the airwaves. Sunday through Thursday, between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., Young's voice goes out on 104.5 FM to the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He reads stories by well-known authors, with their permission. "I feel like I'm saying goodnight to all my neighbors," Young said.

Though Young has just started his show it's been on air for about eight weeks he hopes to build a library of stories that can be broadcast over and over, repeating the oral tradition via the radio waves. The show, called "Good Night Rez," is one of many broadcast on KCUW, the low-power FM radio station of the reservation. Its signal stretches from near Wildhorse Resort & Casino almost to Highway 11. Sometimes it can be heard as far west as the Pendleton city limits and, on a good day, as far east as Cabbage Hill.

The signal is powered with 100 watts, about the same as a bright light bulb. It is centered in a back office of the tribal public safety building on Ti'mine Way, near the large Nixyaawii Governance Center. Along with Young's show, the station broadcasts national shows and shows produced by local volunteers with a love for music, storytelling and community. Now, more places across the nation will have the opportunity to serve their communities as KCUW does.

The U.S. House and Senate recently passed the Local Community Radio Act. It now awaits the president's signature. The bill will allow for more stations like KCUW to get licensed and serve their local communities The Prometheus Radio Project, which helped start KCUW in 2004, was a big proponent of the bill.

"A town without a community radio station is like a town without a library," Pete Tridish with Prometheus said in an announcement on the group's website. "Many a small town dreamer has successfully launched a low-power station, and built these tiny channels into vibrant town institutions that spotlight school board elections, breathe life into the local music scene, allow people to communicate in their native languages, and give youth an outlet to speak."

KCUW DJs Daisy Minthorn and Cindy Halfmoon both said they wouldn't be able to be involved with radio if it wasn't for KCUW. Young admitted he would likely be involved in radio in some way, but KCUW offers him the freedom to do what he loves. And it's that freedom that makes KCUW unique.

Minthorn hosts The Quiet Storm, an R&B show allowing her to indulge in her favorite music. "I love it," Minthorn said. "I just like music new stuff that's just come out, comparing it to older stuff. Mix it up, basically." Minthorn grew up making mix tapes and giving them to friends. Developing a radio show was a "natural step" forward.

Minthorn comes off as a quiet person, speaking softly. She said it took a few months before she felt confident enough to add commentary to her music show. She's gotten more and more bold and now takes requests via Facebook. She usually makes up her playlist a few days before the show. It is also a nice break from her day job in the tribal housing department and serving on the Nixyaawii school board. It gives her time to relax and do something different.

Cindy Halfmoon said she looks forward to working on her show, "C-Bear Revivals," every week. "It's a lot like exercise" Halfmoon said. "You put it off, but when you get in here it feels good." Unlike Minthorn's show, Halfmoon mixes music and talk to tackle serious topics such as suicide prevention, gang awareness, depression and breast cancer. She also looks into timely subjects such as elections or honoring veterans.

"I see topics on the news and bring them up if they're relevant to the community in how it affects the reservation," Halfmoon said. "I don't think I'll ever run out of ideas." She pairs these discussions with music that runs with the theme.

"There's a song for every occasion," Halfmoon said =. Aside from the fun of hosting a show, Halfmoon revels in the opportunity to help her community. "I've been a taker all my life," she said. "It feels good to be a giver."

Young enjoys that same sense of community when he reads stories about Coyote. They are old lessons. Lessons that don't have to do with modern life, like work and business. It teaches the importance of a secure family, of having a good hunt, of being prepared for winter.

"It allows us to live in another view of the world," he said.

Louis Tabing excerpt from Interview Article in Communication Initiative

2010-12-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

Louie Tabing is the founder of the Tambuli Radio Project, and the subsequent Tambuli Foundation, created to sustain the growth of community radio in the Philippines. Louie spoke with Deborah Heimann in Managua, Nicaragua during the VIII International Communication for Development Roundtable.

CI: Can you asses the value of new technologies, given the fact that in many of the areas in which you work, there is no electricity, so there is no internet. Is there a value to the new technologies in your work?

LT: For community radio – my priority is for the participants to be able to look around within the community and see the opportunities within the community. We provided at least 3 stations with computers. I say to them – "Community radio is your mirror to yourselves. Internet is your window to the world." We are indeed hoping that there will be a marriage of community radio to internet. We are proposing to these 3 stations that they would need only a telephone in order for them to access the world wide web and world-wide information. With this, they could hold programmes where people could ask questions and they could search for the information on the internet, and then say within seconds – "Aha...this is what there is to know about, say – 'mad cow disease'"... and things like that. Meanwhile, these computers that we sent to the 3 stations are being used to educate the staff and people around the station about the computer and how to use the computer. They use it to prepare their scripts. In this way it is opening the eyes of very rural people on the value of new technology.

But mind you, the internet does not seem to be their priority. They are fascinated by it, but it is not a priority. Instead of a computer, they would like to have portable tape recorders that they could move around with to interview people thoughout the community. Or they would like to have a spare CD player. So from their point of view, they see the value of the computer, but if you asked if they wanted a computer that cost say $100 or a receiver for a UHF (handheld) radio – they would choose the UHF radio, because it would give them the means to talk with one another. They would be able to have reports from other sources in the community.

CI: If you could double your communication strategy and activity budget, what would you do with those funds?

LT: I would experiment on putting up a special radio. For example, we have one children's radio – the problem is that the children only use it during the weekend, when there is no school. So during the rest of the week it is not being used. And the adults who oversee this radio have said – since it is not being used, can we take over and use it for the rest of the week? So they are using something like 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon on the weekdays, whereas the children are only using it for 3 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday. It has turned into just another adult radio station. I would like to have a purely children's radio to experiment with. I would also like a community radio station for street children in the city and one for disadvantaged women in the city. I would have problems with licensing because the city is already so full of frequencies - frequency would be very difficult to secure. I would like to work with ethnic communities/tribes in the mountains. In at least 2 stations there is involvement of tribal peoples, but it would be very exciting to see people who are still wearing g-strings, for them to be working with a microphone, to be preparing programmes of interest to them and their communities. These are things that excite me, but I am not sure if they will materialise soon.

We have proposed and are working on a semi-commercial one kilowatt radio station - semi-commercial, but community in character – with participation from different sectors, but operated on a commercial basis. So we are able to make arrangements with a Catholic organisation that has the franchise, and we will be using this franchise for that station. Slowly we are telling the commercial stations – here is a model – here is one thing that might threaten you once again! We are having the transmitter built and a school has agreed to host the radio station once we are ready to launch.

CI: You've mentioned a few voices, a few communities that you would like to reach. I am wondering if there is a voice or a community that you feel is not being heard by the communication for development field, by the development fields, that should be listened to?

LT: Many of them that do not even have access to communication. Many of these groups of people would be very happy to have a community station set up for them - Children, Street Children, Women, Fishermen. I am also thinking of a community radio station for prisoners. There are about 7,000 people in one prison camp – you would need only a 5 watt station for them. In an area of 4 square kilometers you don't need a very powerful station. These are people I would like to relate with if I have a chance.

Outside of that – schools would like to use it as a means for extension. Firstly, they would like to use it as a means for promoting the technology that they generate and that they have in their libraries. Secondly, they would like to make use of the radio station as a training ground for students. Particularly those schools, and there are quite a few of them, that have communication courses and development communication courses. NGOs and churches would like to have radio stations. However, in some of the radio stations that we have put up, the churches have tried to dominate them.

In some cases, when we tried involving the local governments, the politicians tried to dominate them. In the composition of the management group, the community broadcast council – we said that if there are politicians, opposition parties should always be there as well. In spite of this, they managed to put in only their own people and were able to dominate the group. We have been happier working with educators. We have no guarantee that the community radio stations will not be used by politicians or churches for their own agendas. The reality is that in some cases they are being used for political and religious interests. This is one of the problems.

Another problem is that some of the equipment is breaking down. When something like the transmitter breaks down, there is no one within the community who is able to repair it. It needs to be sent to Manila and this is quite expensive. The Tambuli Foundation does not have money for this. At the moment, the Foundation is just a group of volunteers who are willing to continue to work for the cause of community radio and who have been and are excited by the cause. So when pieces of equipment break down, this is a problem that often affects sustainability. In one case, we think the station was robbed because the station campaigned so hard against illegal gambling. The suspicion is that the gambling lords stole the equipment from the station. The community is very agitated about this because they were able to stop the "Jeuteng" – the illegal gaming that was sapping the hard-earned money of farmers and fishermen. The local cooperators are now saying that they plan to put up the station again. But I have to say to them, please, do not look to Tambuli Foundation for equipment – you will have to raise money for your own. The Foundation can provide training at this point, but not equipment, not funding.

Radio Rootz Tells the FCC to Keep the Internet Open

2010-12-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

Written by Radio Rootz Tuesday, 21 December 2010 12:12

Radio Rootz Wants their Information on the Web Open and Free

Radio Rootz students from Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School recently learned about Network Neutrality, which are the rules that keep information exchange on the Internet free and open.

When the students learned that on Dec. 21st the Federal Communications Commission will vote on Network Neutrality regulation, our students decided to send these audio postcards to the FCC to tell them why a free and open Internet is important to them.

Listen to Luna and Dominique's letters urging the FCC to make sure the Internet stays free and open.

US Senate Joins House in Passing the Local Community Radio Act

2010-12-20T08:16:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON, DC – Today a bill to expand community radio nationwide – the Local Community Radio Act – passed the U.S. Senate, thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John McCain (R-AZ). This follows Friday afternoon’s passage of the bill in the House of Representatives, led by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Lee Terry (R-NE). The bill now awaits the President's signature.

These Congressional champions for community radio joined with the thousands of grassroots advocates and dozens of public interest groups who have fought for ten years to secure this victory for local media. In response to overwhelming grassroots pressure, Congress has given the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a mandate to license thousands, of new community stations nationwide. This bill marks the first major legislative success for the growing movement for a more democratic media system in the U.S.

“A town without a community radio station is like a town without a library,” said Pete Tridish of the Prometheus Radio Project, the group which has led the fight to expand community radio for ten years. “Many a small town dreamer – starting with a few friends and bake sale cash – has successfully launched a low power station, and built these tiny channels into vibrant town institutions that spotlight school board elections, breathe life into the local music scene, allow people to communicate in their native languages, and give youth an outlet to speak.”

The Local Community Radio Act will expand the low power FM (LPFM) service created by the FCC in 2000 – a service the FCC created to address the shrinking diversity of voices on the radio dial. Over 800 LPFM stations, all locally owned and non-commercial, are already on the air. The stations are run by non-profit organizations, local governments, churches, schools, and emergency responders.

The bill repeals earlier legislation which had been backed by big broadcasters, including the National Association of Broadcasters. This legislation, the Radio Broadcast Preservation Act of 2000, limited LPFM radio to primarily rural areas. The broadcast lobby groups claimed that the new 100 watt stations could somehow create interference with their own stations, a claim disproven by a Congressionally-mandated study in 2003.

Congressional leaders worked for years to pass this legislation. As the clock wound down on the 111th Congress, they worked with the NAB to amend the bill to enshrine even stronger protections against interference and to ensure the prioritization of full power FM radio stations over low power stations.

Though the amendments to the bill will require some further work at the FCC, low power advocates celebrated the first chance in a decade for groups in cities, towns, and other communities to take their voices to the FM dial.

“After ten years of effort, a $2.2 million taxpayer-funded study, and new provisions to address this hypothetical interference, we are finally on our way to seeing new community radio stations across the U.S. This marks a beginning, not an end, to our work,” said Brandy Doyle, Policy Director for the Prometheus Radio Project. “For the first time, LPFM community radio has a chance to grow, and we’re ready to seize that opportunity.”

“All of us at UCC OC Inc. and at Prometheus express our incredible gratitude to Congressmen Mike Doyle and Lee Terry and Senators Maria Cantwell and John McCain for the leadership and counsel during this process,” said Cheryl Leanza, a board member of the Prometheus Radio Project and a Policy Advisor to the United Church of Christ, Office of Communication, Inc. “Without their work and the work of their committed staff we would not have come this far. At long last the 160 million Americans who have been deprived of the opportunity to apply for a local low power radio station will get a chance to be a part of the American media.”

"I am a leadership organizer from the ranks of the poor working with other low-wage workers – fighting for human rights in Maryland,” said Veronica Dorsey of the United Workers, a human rights organization in Baltimore. “Low power FM radio would allow the United Workers to expand the message of our End Poverty Radio show, which is currently only available on the internet. End Poverty Radio develops leaders and gives workers a way to tell their stories and be heard – and a low power FM station would reach a lot of people who do not have access to the internet. LPFM is a way for those in the community who are struggling to survive to hear stories that they can relate to, and to know that they are not alone in this struggle for human dignity. We can’t wait to work to build low power FM in communities like ours, so we can accomplish these goals."

“Civil rights groups and community organizations have wanted low power FM radio for years, and now the chance is here,” said Betty Yu, coordinator of the Media Action Grassroots Network, a national media justice network with members in many cities and communities that lost their chance to get low power FM radio stations. “From Seattle, Oakland, and Albuquerque to Minneapolis, San Antonio, Kentucky and Philadelphia, thousands of communities know that having access to our own slice of the dial means a tool to build our movements for justice. We have won something huge in Congress, but the fight is not over. Now we need to work at the FCC to make sure as many licenses as possible can be available in rural communities, towns and suburbs, and America's cities.”

LPFMs have saved lives in powerful storms when big broadcasts lose power or can’t serve local communities in the eye of the storm. WQRZ-LP in Bay St. Louis, MS received awards from President Bush and other organizations post Katrina in 2005, when one of the station operators swam across flood waters with fuel strapped to his back to keep his station on the air. The station proved so important that the Emergency Operations Center of Hancock County set up shop with the LPFM to serve the community after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Bipartisan Senators and House members have expressed support for the Local Community Radio Act as a vital way to expand emergency service media across our nation.

“I’m Frank Bluestein from Germantown, Tennessee, one of the several large suburban cities located just outside of Memphis. We have been fighting for the past 10 years to persuade Congress to give communities like ours the opportunity to establish a low power FM radio station. Our city wants to provide community and civic groups, students of all ages, local artists and others the power to communicate over their own LPFM channel,” said Frank Bluestein, a media teacher and Executive Producer of Germantown Community Television.

"Equally important for Germantown, we need a dedicated communication outlet that will serve the needs of our citizens in the event another tornado rips through town or if any kind of natural disaster hits,” continued Bluestein. “In this day and age, emergency management is a must for a city of our size and LPFM perfectly fits our needs. A low power FM radio station can stay on the air even if the power goes out. Low power FM saved lives during Katrina but strangely, the federal government is banning it from this part of Tennessee. That is not fair or wise. We have the right to be as safe as any other community in the US. After 10 years, now is the time! Congress has passed the Local Community Radio Act, and chances are so much greater that groups in towns like mine can apply for LPFM licenses. Germantown is ready to work here and at the FCC to make licenses for communities like ours possible.”

Grassroots leaders were key in helping Senators understand that expanding low power FM was important and urgent. “Our station provides some of the only local service to Gillette when big storms come through, and it puts great content on the air. That's why so many in our town think it is such a vital resource,” said Pastor Joel Wright of the First Presbyterian Church of Gillette, WY, licensee of KCOV-LP 95.7 FM . “Senators Barrasso and Enzi had concerns about expanding low power FM, but they heard from many Wyoming folks who want these stations, and dropped those concerns. Communities of faith and so many others can celebrate that we've jumped this big hurdle to more license being available in cities, smaller towns, and rural communities nationwide. I look forward to working with many other pastors and groups to launch their own wonderful new community voices.”

"The Media Mobilizing Project works with a huge diversity of leaders across Philadelphia -- from taxi drivers and immigrant communities to students and low wage workers," said Desi Burnette of Philadelphia's Media Mobilizing Project. "Our leaders have been lucky enough to produce multiple programs with WPEB-FM, 88.1 – bringing all of these communities together. But WPEB is a 1-watt station, only covering a few city blocks. Now with the passage of the Local Community Radio Act, Philadelphia has a much greater chance of getting at least one 100-watt station of its own.With low power FM in our community, poor and working people across this region would have an incredible tool to learn together, to understand their shared struggles and conditions, and to work to change them."

"Our low power FM radio station has allowed Guatemalan, Haitian, and many other hard-working immigrant farmworkers to communicate in their native languages, and to build the power for dignity and respect in the fields of Southwest Florida," said the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Gerardo Reyes Chavez. "Our radio station, WCIW – Radio Consciencia – has developed womens' leadership, has allowed us to mobilize rapidly in crises, and has helped us transform not just our community but the hundreds of communities inspired by our struggle. We look forward to helping many other farmworkers learn how to build their own stations and how to expand justice on the FM dial."

"In the rural areas we serve and all across the country, low power FMs are poised to celebrate and preserve unique local culture," said Nick Szuberla of Appalshop, a group that uses media to preserve Appalachian culture and tradition while working to improve quality of life. "More low power FMs mean that the vibrant, beautiful, and vital voices of America's rural areas and small towns will shine – and it will mean sustainable local resources in times of crisis. Low power FM stations can stay on the air in storms and save thousands of lives. Congress and community radio advocates should be proud of the resources they've won for American communities."

“Our group of 150 volunteers here at the Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) is extremely pleased that the Local Community Radio Act has been passed by Congress, and will be signed into law by our fellow Chicagoan, President Obama,” said Shawn Campbell, a founder of CHIRP. “For three years, CHIRP volunteers and supporters have worked diligently toward the goal of being able to apply for a low power FM broadcast license, and we look forward to working with our national allies and the FCC to make sure new stations are licensed in large markets around the country, including Chicago.”

"For decades, the Esperanza Center has worked in San Antonio and beyond to bring people together across cultures, and to ensure the civil rights and economic justice of everyone," said Graciela Sanchez of the Esperanza Center for Peace and Justice in San Antonio. "Whether we are fighting for the right to publically protest or to save the water systems of our region, we need to communicate and coordinate to effectively organize. Low power FM in San Antonio can unite people across cultures and issues to work together to make this city better for everyone. We celebrate this victory for everyone and pledge to work with allies to win as many stations as possible for communities nationwide."

Over 10 years, hundreds of groups of all walks of life struggled to bring community radio stations to every community possible, and they cannot all be listed here. We would like to thank the coalition who worked weekly to move this mountain including: Free Press, United Church of Christ Office of Communication, Inc, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Media Access Project, the Future of Music Coalition, the Media and Democracy Coalition, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Benton Foundation, the Prometheus National Advisory Committee and Board of Directors.

We thank those who were instrumental in this final push including: Reclaim the Media, The Media Action Grassroots Network, New America Foundation, Chicago Independent Radio Project, MoveOn.org, Color of Change, the Christian Coalition, and the National Association of Evangelicals, and Spitfire Consulting. Our partners in supporting community media including the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the Grassroots Radio Coalition, and Media Alliance, Pacifica, REC Networks, the Alliance for Community Media.

We thank those who have helped at key moments throughout these ten years including: United States Public Interest Research Group, Consumers Union, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, the United Methodist Church Office of Communication, the Indigo Girls, OK Go, Nicole Atkins, the Microradio List, Amherst Alliance, MIcroradio Implementation Project, Pacifica Radio, Common Frequency, Christian Community Broadcasters, KYES -TV, National Lawyers Guild Committee on Democratic Communications, Virginia Center for the Public Press, every FCC Commissioner since 1999 (except for Harold Furchgott Roth).

We thank our radio barnraising partners who have time and again shown up to represent the best of what LPFM can be: WGXC-FM in Hudson, New York with Free103point9; WMXP-LP in Greenville, South Carolina with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; KPCN-LP in Woodburn, Oregon with Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste; WRFU-LP in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois with Radio Free Urbana; WXOJ-LP in Northampton, Massachusetts with Valley Free Radio; WRFN-LP in Pasquo, Tennessee with Radio Free Nashville; WSCA-LP in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Portsmouth Community Radio; WCIW-LP in Immokalee, Florida with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers; KYRS-LP in Spokane, Washington with Thin Air Community Radio; KOCZ-LP in Opelousas, Louisiana with the Southern Development Foundation; KRBS-LP in Oroville, California with the Bird Street Media Project; and our very first radio barnraising with WRYR-LP in Deale, Maryland with South Arundel Citizens for Responsible Development.

“We've built community radio stations from coast to coast and around the country,” said Hannah Sassaman, a longtime organizer with the Prometheus Radio Project. ‘The faith and perseverance of low power FM's legislative champions and the thousands who pushed the Local Community Radio Act has paid off in incredible ways. After ten years of struggle, it's stunning to know that in the next years, the FCC will work to and begin licensing LPFMs in city neighborhoods, in suburbs and towns, and in rural areas. It's humbling to understand that new young people will gain a love of telling stories at the working end of a microphone or at home listening to their neighbors. And it's powerful to know that these stations will launch leaders in every walk of life to change their communities, and this country. We look forward to launching the next generation of community stations with you.”

To learn more about low power FM community radio, visit http://www.prometheusradio.org.

From Mobilactive.org ---- How to Take Good Mobile Video

2010-12-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Many mobile phones can capture video footage. This has enabled both trained journalists and citizen reporters to more easily capture footage including images that were rarely seen before. The Polk Journalism Award in 2009, for example, was awarded to a video from Iran captured on a mobile phone. Today, more and more journalists are using mobile phones to record video and quickly transfer content to their newsrooms via mobile data connections.

Using mobiles to capture video isn't new news. But there is good news: You don't need a high-quality video camera to do high-quality reporting, be you in the U.S. or elsewhere. Many journalists and citizen reporters today use smartphones to capture video footage. Examples abound. Vancouver journalism students use an iPhone with some additional hardware and software to do all their video editing on the phone. Voices of Africa uses a Nokia N-series smartphone. In his bookMobile Journalism in the Asian Region, Stephen Quinn uses both iPhones and Nokia smartphones. This post will provide some tips and tools on how you can record quality video and audio from your mobile phone.Phone hardware is constantly improving and getting cheaper. With an older phone, you may consider video enhancement software, which can offer a cheaper way to get better quality video content. For high quality video recording on a mobile, the best phones available today feature 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second. 320 x 240 pixels at 15 frames per second produces acceptable web-quality video.
Lower resolutions will look grainy and pixelated without software enhancement, and video below 15 frames per second will look choppy. On the high quality end, these are some good mobile phones with excellent video cameras:
PC Magazine featured these five video-phone models with varying price ranges. The article includes lengthy reviews and a matrix comparison of the phones.
For high end phones, take a look at these articles: CNet's top 5 video phones of 2009,Wirefly's top 10 2009 video phones, MSNBC's video phone review with 5 recommendations, the iPhone 3GS, and the Motorola Droid.
The GSMArena.com database features 1800 phones with video capabilities, 70 of which are listed on this page. The site allows you to search for cameras based on various criteria and links directly to carriers around the world who are selling these phones.
The Nokia N series phones are generally highly recommended for video recording. The N82,N93, and N95 are mentioned often by independent reviewers.When it comes to shooting video, the major difference between mobiles and mainstream camcorders is that mobile phones have simpler (and smaller) cameras. It is important to understand what makes for good quality video given these limitations. Some suggested tools and tips are listed here.
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The Challenge: New Technology in an Indigenous Community in Panama

2010-12-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

Promo video for an wireless internet hub for an Indigenous community in Panama. This features a "facilitator" from Microsoft. For information about a group in Namibia that works to provide alternatives to Microsoft by encouraging and assisting in setting up free and opensource networks, see: http://www.schoolnet.na/
and http://deepdishwavesofchange.blogspot.com/2008/02/schoolnets-computer-comics.html
In the Schoolnet comics the microsoft sales man is the evil villain.

Drawings from comic books distributed to Namibian school students and teachers by Schoolnet.

How Environmental Disasters Destroy Culture

2010-12-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

Con la solidaria intención de que prevalezca la verdad y la justicia, se ha publicado este Documental, que revela un derrame o siniestro equivalente a 30 veces el producido por el Exxon Valdez. CHEVRON TEXACO debe pagar por el genocidio provocado; además de la afectación de flora y fauna irrecuperables.

Flash Mob at Best Buy for Palestine

2010-12-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Inmates in Georgia Prisons Use Cell Phones to Coordinate Protest

2010-12-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

By SARAH WHEATON Published: December 13, 2010 U.S. NEWS
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=713691&f=21

The prison protest has entered the wireless age.
Inmates in at least seven Georgia prisons have used contraband cellphones to coordinate a nonviolent strike this weekend, saying they want better living conditions and to be paid for work they do in the prisons.

Inmates said they would not perform chores, work for the Corrections Department's industrial arm or shop at prison commissaries until a list of demands are addressed, including compensation for their work, more educational opportunities, better food and sentencing rules changes. The protest began Thursday, but inmates said that organizers had spent months building a web of disparate factions and gangs - groups not known to cooperate - into a unified coalition using text messaging and word of mouth. Officials at the Georgia Department of Corrections said Monday that four facilities remain in a lockdown status and there have been no major incidents or issues reported.

Inmates complained of scattered clashes with guards.
Smuggled cellphones have been commonplace in prisons for years; Charles Manson was caught with one in a California penitentiary this month. Officials worry that inmates will use them to issue orders to accomplices on the outside or to plan escape attempts.

But the Georgia protest appears to be the first use of the technology to orchestrate a grass-roots movement behind bars. Reached on their cellphones inside several prisons, six participants in the strike described a feat of social networking more reminiscent of Capitol Hill vote-whipping than jailhouse rebellion.

Conditions at the state prisons have been in decline, the inmates said. But "they took the cigarettes away in August or September, and a bunch of us just got to talking, and that was a big factor," said Mike, an inmate at the Smith State Prison in Downing who declined to give his full name.

The organizers set a date for the start and, using contact numbers from time spent at other prisons or connections from the outside, began sending text messages to inmates known to hold sway." Anybody that has some sort of dictatorship or leadership amongst the crowds," said Mike, one of several prisoners who contacted The New York Times to publicize their strike. "We have to come together and set aside all differences, whites, blacks, those of us that are affiliated in gangs." Now, Mike said, every dormitory at participating prisons has at least one point man with a phone who can keep the other inmates in the loop.

Miguel, another prisoner at Smith who also declined to give his full name, estimated that about 10 percent of all inmates had phones." We text very frequently," he said. "We try and keep up with what's going on in the news and what's going on at other facilities. Those are our voices."

They are also a source of profit to the people providing the contraband. Miguel said he paid $400 for a phone that would have cost $20 on the street. Mike said he bought his through a guard. "That's how a lot of us get our phones," Mike said. Inmates said guards had started confiscating the phones, and they complained that hot water and heat had been turned off.

The Corrections Department placed several of the facilities where inmates planned to strike under indefinite lockdown on Thursday, according to local news reports. "We're hearing in the news they're putting it down as we're starting a riot, so they locked all the prison down," said an inmate at Hays State Prison in Trion who refused to give his name. But, he said, "We locked ourselves down."

The inmates contend that if they have a source of income in the prison and better educational
opportunities to prepare them for release, violence and recidivism will go down. But the Department of Corrections has not publicly acknowledged the protest.

Mike said that the leaders were focused on telling inmates to remain patient, and not to consider resorting to violence.

The inmates' closest adviser outside prison walls is Elaine Brown, a longtime advocate for prisoners whose son is incarcerated at Macon State Prison, one of the other major protest sites. A former Black Panther leader who is based in Oakland, Calif., Ms. Brown helped distill the inmate complaints into a list of demands. She held a conference call on Sunday evening to develop a strategy with various groups, including the Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Nation of Islam.

************************************************
FOR A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PRISON PROTESTS AND DEMANDS FOR PRISON EDUCATION AT THE REBELLION AT ATTICA, SEE THE DEEP DISH PROGRAM, The Last Graduation.

British Students Sing Protest Carols

2010-12-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

Equity for Life on Wheels

2010-12-12T12:56:00.001-08:00

by Jody McIntyre

Intergenerational Indigenous Project

2010-12-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Rachel Tso just completed her masters at Northern Arizona University. The film focuses on Rachel's work with Outta Your Backpack Media, teaching Navajo youth using film making as a medium. This work led to the award winning youth film "In the Foot Steps of Yellow Woman."

Precarious Workers' Patron Saint

2010-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Born in 2001 the Italian MayDay has become the most attended May Day demonstration in Europe: 120,000 people took the streets of Milan and danced until dawn in 2010 under the slogan “Precarious of the world, let’s fight!” Since 2004 San Precario is the patron saint of precarious European workers. The San Precario Network is devoted to defend the workers rights but we also strive to imagine a new set of rights, a new welfare that matches the needs and lives of this precarious generation. Born within the Italian social centers movement, our collective provides legal support, tactical help and social-media skills, as well as brand subverting and political theorizing.

Our more recent campaigns are: Cash & Crash, a series of actions against evil companies wallets and brands; Welfare for Life! A campaign to guarantee fix income and free access to services; the Etats-General of Precarity, a general assembly of Italian and European movements which will be held in October; and of course, the EuroMayDay Parade.

http://www.precaria.org
EuroMayDay: http://www.euromayday.org
Chainworkers: http://www.ecn.org/chainworkers
Etats-General of Precarity (in English)
http://www.precaria.org/general-assembly-of-the-estates-of-precarity.html

Videos:
San Precario appears
http://www.youtube.com/chainworkers#p/a/u/1/KdgE5NY8p8U
Tutti Santi Tutti Stronzi http://chainworkers.org/node/295
Mayday 2010 Special http://www.precaria.org/speciale-mayday-2010

Protest against Censorship at Smithsonian

2010-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

And here is the offending film:

A Fire in My Belly from ppow_gallery on Vimeo.

Radio Continental Drift

2010-12-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

Claudia Wegener sent these links: radio continental drift  
a broad casting house in the bag of a listener
out to here unheard voices
a branch of the growing networks of sound workers,
audio artists, radio communities, and the street corner academies
of listening and broadcasting
around the world
radio is happening
when people loiter in public places
the air is free!

Original recordings re-mixed in the audio track can be accessed, downloaded & used under creative commons share-alike licence. They are archived as part of a conversational journey & audio media road workshop in Kenya & Uganda in May -September 2010.
1. http://www.archive.org/details/Gulu_Songs_of_Wisdom
2. http://www.archive.org/details/Gulu_Songs_of_Wisdom_245
3. http://www.archive.org/details/Gulu_Songs_of_Wisdom_649
4. http://www.archive.org/details/Gulu_Songs_of_Wisdom_657
5. http://www.archive.org/details/Gulu_Songs_of_Wisdom_863

featured producers (in the order of their appearance part 1 & 2):

Takscentre, LOCAL ARTS & CULTURAL CENTRE http://www.takscentre.org
(contact: David Odwar (9) davidodwar@hotmail.com, Santa Joyce Laker (1) health_gulu_ug@yahoo.com )
Mega fm LOCAL PUBLIC BROADCASTER pka "Radio Freedom" megafm@bshnet.net (contact: Nicky Afaya (2), producer afaya7@hotmail.com, Okot Juma Jammieh)
TAILORS WORKSHOP @ GULU MARKET
(Acan Jennifer (3), Agnes Odoch agnes.odoch@yahoo.com, Ajok Lilian, Aber Khevine Vicky)
Gulu MC's interviewed:
AshBee (5) http://www.myspace.com/ashbee , DN (4) & Babu (aka Kites) (5)
Breakdance Project Uganda GULU BRANCH http://www.myspace.com/breakdanceprojectuganda;http://www.youtube.com/user/abramzt
(contact: Josh Jones, coordinator joshjones85@gmail.com ; Dennis Kilama (10), Latim Simon Peter; Benson (6), Bernhard, Ivan, Caroline, Brigitte)
The Remnant Voice HIPHOP PROJECT FOR STREET CHILDREN
theremnantvoice@yahoo.com (7) (contact: Ogen Rwot Jefferson http://www.gulucommunitychurch.com ; Ogen Rwot Felix)
Bosco Uganga BATTERY OPERATED SYSTEMS FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH http://www.boscouganda.com , contact: info@boscouganda.com
Joseph Okumu, director; Stella Akiteng (8), project coordinator; Alfred Kilama, technical assistant)
Alimucan Janet, pupil at Gulu Central High School
for contact details see also: hhttp://radiocontinentaldrift.wordpress.com/radio-communities/

Punch and Judy by Amy Trompetter

2010-12-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

This is a Punch and Judy performance from several years ago in Willow, NY.
Amy Trompetter has been performing the classic Punch and Judy show for decades. She recently was scheduled to perform it in Rhinebeck, NY, as part of a Christmas Fair. However she received a notice from the festival director that the "Mothers' Committee" had decided to cancel the play because it was inappropriately violent.
From the British Telegraph:

Oh, the heart sinks at the news that a Punch and Judy puppeteer in Portsmouth has been told to tone down Punch’s violence. Poor Daniel Liversidge has had to take away Punch’s whacking stick and replace it with a floppy mop, and add positive messages in to his show.

Punch and Judy is like Tom and Jerry – ritualised, cartoon thwacking that bears no relation to real violence, unlike violent films which try to make the shooting and the hitting as real as possible. Like all great fantasy, seaside theatre is a release from the horrors of everyday life; not an encouragement to recreate them.

Signs of Change: Graphic Arts from Global Struggles

2010-12-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

Josh McPhee and Dara Greenwald are celebrating the publication of their book today. It grew from an exhibition they put together at Exit Art in New York.

Josh says: Dara and I spent years collected hundreds of posters, flyers, photos, video, film, and ephemera from dozens of radical left social movements around the world, and it's all synthesized into this book! The cultural output of almost 60 movements are explored in seven sections: Struggle for the Land, Agitate! Educate! Organize!, Forward to People's Power! Freedom and Independence Now, Let It All Hang Out, Reclaim the Commons, Globalization From Below.

It can be purchased from their web site at: www.justseeds.org

KNN: Kibera News Network

2010-12-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

http://kiberanewsnetwork.org/

The images and voices of the Kenyan shacktown in Nairobi are posted to the internet.

Sinking On Line Pirates

2010-12-01T03:09:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times on Internet Law

Imagine having a nemesis who assaults you daily (often mocking you as it does) yet somehow stays beyond the reach of the law. That's a rough approximation of the entertainment industry's view of online piracy — particularly the kind practiced by the likes of Sweden's The Pirate Bay, Latvia'smp3fiesta and a growing number of websites that stream bootlegged movies and TV shows from digital lockers. Such sites exist almost exclusively to promote illegal downloading or streaming of movies, music, video games and software, making money through advertisements or even by selling unauthorized copies of the works themselves.

Copyright holders have shut down some offending sites through civil suits and federal investigations, but these cases have taken years to complete. Meanwhile, new sites and services have emerged to replace the shuttered ones, and the amount of copyright infringement has increased over the years as broadband connections have proliferated.

Fed up, the entertainment industry has lobbied hard for a more powerful legal weapon against online piracy. It found a receptive audience in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which unanimously approved a bill this month that would speed the process of penalizing such sites. The goal of the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (S 3804) is a good one — there's no defense for online businesses whose raison d'etre is infringement. But some of the methods employed by the bill could create significant problems of their own.

Sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the bill would make it easier for the Justice Department to obtain court orders cracking down on sites "dedicated to infringing activities." Such orders could be obtained against foreign-based sites that attract U.S. Internet users as well as domestic companies.

Sites that use a U.S. domain-name registrar (a company that sells domain names, such as GoDaddy.com) or registry (a company that oversees the registrars for a category of domains, asVeriSign does for .com, .net, .cc and .tv) would be subject to the most direct penalties. In those cases, a court could order the registrar or registry to invalidate the site's domain name, removing it from the global database that Internet service providers use to direct traffic online. That's akin to ordering road atlases to erase a street from their maps — it would still be there, but it would be much harder to find.

The bill would take a different approach to sites that used foreign registrars and registries, which are beyond the reach of U.S. courts. In those cases, courts could order U.S. Internet service providers, payment processing companies (such as Visa and MasterCard) and online advertising networks to stop sending traffic, money or ads to the offending sites.

Some critics have complained that the Leahy bill isn't targeted narrowly enough, so it conceivably could be used against sites that provide a useful outlet for legitimate content distributors in addition to bootleggers. Another criticism is that the bill wouldn't give offending sites a fair chance to defend themselves. In fact, the Justice Department wouldn't even have to inform the actual operator of the site before obtaining an injunction against it — it would simply have to send a notice to whoever is listed as the domain name's registrant.

Such problems, although potentially serious, could be addressed by refining the bill's definition of what it means to be a site "dedicated to infringing activities" and the process it lays out for obtaining court orders. A more troubling question is whether the Justice Department should be focusing on domain names at all.

A site's actual Internet address isn't its domain name but rather a series of up to 12 numbers separated by the occasional period. The domain name — the portion of the URL that comes after "www." — is just a form of branding. When someone types a URL into a browser, the software looks up the corresponding numerical address in a database of domain names, typically the one furnished by the user's Internet service provider.

The court orders made available by the bill would remove the offending site's name from the databases used by U.S. service providers, but they wouldn't stop people from typing the site's numerical address into their browsers. Nor would people be prevented from using alternative databases overseas — say, one maintained by The Pirate Bay. Such a migration could undermine efforts to fix the security problems in the domain name system, which can leave Internet users vulnerable to identity theft and other online threats.

Some technology advocates and public interest groups also have warned that the bill's domain-name provisions would violate free-speech principles — because some legitimate content may exist alongside pirated material on blocked sites — and encourage other countries to draw up their own blacklists of sites that don't comport to their unique dictates. Meanwhile, a virtual who's who of Internet pioneers contend that the bill could endanger the leading role the United States has played in technical issues online.

Entertainment industry executives have challenged critics to come up with alternative ways to address sites like The Pirate Bay, rather than just conjuring worst-case scenarios to gin up opposition to Leahy's proposal. They've got a point — some of the groups lining up against the bill seem more concerned about the entertainment industry abusing its copyrights than websites trying to profit off piracy.

Nevertheless, there are real questions about the effectiveness and consequences of the domain-name seizure provisions. It's worth noting that when Congress decided to crack down on Internet gambling sites in 2006, it didn't give the Justice Department new power to seize domains — instead, it focused on cutting off the flow of money from gamblers in the U.S. to betting sites around the world. Similarly, it makes sense for Congress to crack down on the revenue flowing to piracy hotbeds online, as the Leahy bill's provisions for advertising networks and payment processing companies would do.

With Congress set to adjourn soon, the bill isn't likely to progress any further this year. That's a good thing. Before moving the bill on, lawmakers should take a closer look at whether its domain-name provisions are likely to work, as well as their implications for the health of the Internet as a whole. Copyright holders shouldn't be left defenseless against the Pirate Bays of the world, but the proposed seizure of domain names is the least promising enforcement mechanism in the Leahy bill.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Here is an interesting proposal for an alternative to ICANN
http://www.geek.com/articles/news/peter-sunde-attempting-to-create-p2p-alternative-to-icann-20101129/

http://www.geek.com/articles/news/peter-sunde-attempting-to-create-p2p-alternative-to-icann-20101129/

Communication rights are crucial to the World AIDS Campaign

2010-11-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

Image from Over One Billion Served - Conceptual Photography from People's Republic of China

Message from the President and the General Secretary of
the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)
on the Occasion of the World AIDS Day

1 December 2010

Communication rights are crucial to the World AIDS Campaign

On World AIDS Day 2010 we express gratitude to the members and partners of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) for their efforts to advance communication rights that help prevent the stigmatisation of people living with HIV and AIDS.

Significant progress in achieving universal access to HIV treatment, care, prevention and support in some countries is reported in Towards universal access published in September 2010 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Many agree that even greater progress is possible if universal access to care and prevention are understood as a fundamental human right. According to the World AIDS Campaign, “linking universal access to human rights helps bring the HIV diagnosis and treatment issues into existing fora and before world leaders who are already committed to pursuing a human rights agenda.” A rights-based approach “gives more credence to the international agreements related to human rights and their precedence in international law.”

In its own work, WACC has found that communication rights are essential to promoting universal access to HIV and AIDS treatment, care, prevention and support. Communication rights empower people living with and affected by the virus to express their needs, to make their voices heard, and to take charge of their own lives.

As an example we highlight WACC partner Fondation Solidarité Familiale in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which embarked on a campaign to publicize national law 08/011, enacted on 14 July 2008 and which upholds the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS with the aim of combating all forms of stigma and discrimination.

Another partner, Groupe Chrétien contre le Sida in Togo, is placing the spotlight on a little known national law enacted to protect people living with HIV and AIDS against stigma and discrimination.

A third partner, the Christian Council of Ghana, is contributing to efforts to increase knowledge in communities in the Greater Accra Region about the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. New knowledge on the right to a life free of discrimination aided Regina, a project beneficiary, to successfully challenge a landlord’s threat to evict her from a rental home because of her seropositive status. Information on the legal supports in place made it possible for Regina to stay until the end of her tenancy agreement.

Creating awareness about such laws is a first step towards providing people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about their lives. Such decisions bear directly on their possibilities to access treatment, care, prevention and support.

Let us together find more intentional approaches to advance communication rights that challenge stigmatisation and discrimination and save lives. The World AIDS Campaign needs communication rights.

Dennis Smith DD (hon)
WACC President

The Rev Karin Achtelstetter
WACC General Secretary

Community Radio Helps During Hungarian Emergency

2010-11-24T21:20:00.000-08:00

Three days after a storage reservoir at an aluminum company burst, flooding the town of Devecser, Hungary, with toxic mud in early October, several community radio stations pitched in to form Közös Hullámhossz Hírszolgálat.

KHH Hírszolgálat, a temporary emergency radio station, initially launched without a license in Ajka and later in Devecser.

The station is now run by media students from Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem, a Catholic university, under a temporary license. The students are editing and reading newscasts, collecting interviews and broadcasting live local events working 20 hours a day despite frequent problems, ranging from Internet dropouts to power failures.

The first temporary license for the station expired on 21 November, but KKH Hírszolgálat is looking for a one-month extension because the state of emergency remains in effect in Veszprém county.

Local programs are produced at temporary studios in the Devecser parish church; the station antenna is atop the church belltower. Other programs originate from the studios of Best Rádió in Ajka.

Community Art Project to Save River Bed

2010-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

SANTA FE—The Santa Fe Art Institute, in coordination with
Bill McKibben’s 350.org, is spearheading the New Mexico
FLASH FLOOD for a living river project, which is one of five
U.S. sites out of 20 global locations. Joining forces with an
incredible list of community partners, the SFAI is recruiting
3,000 community members to carry and flip blue-painted
recycled cardboard to compose a FLASH FLOOD in the dry
bed of the Santa Fe River, which has been designated as
one of America’s most endangered rivers. The art action
and aerial design will be visible and documented from outer
space via satellite, from the air by award-winning cinemato-
grapher Doug Crawford, and from the ground by still cameras,
video cameras, and thousands of individual cell phones and
cameras. The FLASH FLOOD satellite images will be
projected worldwide alongside the 19 other global aerial
designs as part of the Cancun Climate Change Summit,
November 29 – December 10, 2010.

In conjunction with the FLASH FLOOD project, there is an open call
exhibition, which will open at the Pre-event party on Friday night 11/19
at 5pm at the SFAI. Artists wishing to participate must deliver work related
to water issues in New Mexico that is no larger than 4’ x 4’ to the SFAI by
3pm 11/15 and must install and de-install their own work. For more info,
please contact the SFAI at (505) 424- 5050.

Ongoing on Tuesday and Thursday evenings until the event are
cardboard painting workshops at the SFAI. We have paint and cardboard
to use, but also welcome any blue paint and cardboard the community can
donate. These events are free and open to the public. Our newest partner,
Santa Fe Trails, has offered to provide shuttle service to and from parking
areas near the SanYsidro site, to reduce parking nightmares and congestion!
This art action is an amazing example of a community coming together for
a common good.

Santa Fe Mayor David Coss says of the project, “The Santa Fe River
sustains the people. The People need to sustain the Santa Fe River. This
great project is a true demonstration of the connection between our
community and our river.”
SFAI director Diane Karp adds: “Working together with all our amazing
partners, the Santa Fe Art Institute is honored to have "FLASH FLOOD:
for a living river" chosen as one of the twenty art actions world wide that
will address environmental stress and climate change for the Cancun
Climate Change conference.”

“Our many languages and cultures, histories and perspectives merge
in this fabulous community art project to focus on the Santa Fe River
and its importance for us all. Art can make the difference that makes
the difference.”
For more information about this event, please contact:
Alysha Shaw at alysha.shaw@gmail.com or (505) 795 8096
Michelle Laflamme-Childs at mchilds@sfai.org or (505) 424 5050.

Letter from Seoul:Mediact

2010-11-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to many people's support..... Mr. Hee-moon Cho, the chairperson of KOFIC has been recently fired by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Toursim. (as of Nov. 8, 2010) He was absolutely responsible for all the problems and regressions that KOFIC has caused during last 1 year. So this dismissal surely means a victory when seen from the film/media movement's perspective but we need to see who will be the next person to take charge after him. And moreover, KOFIC's 2011 budget plan contains many serious problems including total budget cutting of film production support for independent films and art films. MCST/KOFIC is also planning to run the media center and independent film theaters for themselves based on the low performance of these facitilies this year. This means a regression in terms of autonomous governance model of these public facilities, which used to be run by civil society so far. And KOFIC doesn't seem to have enough capability of running these public media facilities well, either. So judging from KOFIC's current budget plan, it seems that 2011 will be another tough year.

2.
Mediact is doing their best to survive and keep a hopeful spirit. Now we are trying to be more systematic in building a more sustainable operating structure and expanding our supporters and fundraising/revenue sources. For example, we are trying to get the status of "preliminary social enterprise" so that we can get fund from the Seoul City government. We are also contacting Mapogu local government if they can fund our activities, too. Of course, these are done with the perspective of advocating and strengthening public media policies and buidling networks with local civil organizations...

We are also keeping our eye on the 2011 budget of Korea Broadcasting and Communications Committee esp. regarding their participatory/citizen media related activities. Recently they have submitted 2011 budget plan which contains budget cutting of public access program by 40% from 2.5 million USD in 2010 to 1.5 million USD in 2011...

And besides working for winning public funds, we are also considering fundraising from the private sector such as enterprise sponsorships.We are considering over the implications and terms of these sponsorships...

We are also trying to expand our individual supporters. We have now reached 120 regular donors who submit a monthly payment. I hope you guys can spread the word and recommend your friends for possible monetary support for MediACT using fb MediACT 3.0 Cause page.
http://www.causes.com/causes/496849
http://www.mediact.org/web/etc/pop_sponform5.php

And celebrating our 200th day of survival since the re-opening in Sangam-dong, we are having a little event with our supporters on December 19th, 2010. (Actually the exact date of 200th is Nov. 29 but we needed some time to prepare for the event because we wanted to involve our community members in the preparation stage.) On this day, we will be holding a flea market and a screening of films made by Mediact students.

So these are some of the current news about Mediact and its struggle. Hope this was of interest to you and please forward the message to those who would be interested in.
best regards,
jihyun kim
Media policy and research dept.

MediACThttp://www.medioact.org/

La Tribu

2010-11-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

Venezuelan Government Begins Distribution of 350,000 Laptop Computers to School Children

2010-11-23T10:29:00.000-08:00

by Juan Reardon

Mérida, November 17^th2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government this week distributed the first of an additional 350,000 portable laptop computers to be provided to public elementary school children by the end of the year.

In the Caracas neighborhood of El Paraíso on Tuesday, Minister of Education Jennifer Gil, presided over the ceremony in which 109 Canaima computers were handed to first and second grade students at Mario Briceño Iragorry Elementary.

“The Canaima Plan is a milestone and a technological innovation. It allows us to keep deepening our integral and massive education system that does not involve just students, but the entire family environment, parents, representatives and teachers,” stated Gil at the event.

According to Gil, the Venezuelan government has invested BsF 700 million (US$163 million) this year in the acquisition from Portugal of the kid-friendly Canaima laptop computers, 228,000 of which have already been distributed this year. The goal for 2010 is to distribute a total of 525,000 Canaima computers.

During his weekly televised address to the nation on Sunday, President Hugo Chávez announced that all public schoolchildren are to be secured a portable computer, school uniforms, and books.

In reference to an educational program available on the laptops that portrays Venezuela’s liberation hero Simón Bolivar, Chávez said that, “it is much better [that the children] watch these historical and cultural programs than the narco-soap operas filled with anti-values and the destruction of society.”

“Only in socialism is it possible to make real the rights of children, the rights of the people, to an improved quality of education and standard of living,” affirmed Gil.

The Canaima Program began in mid-2009 as part of an oil trading agreement between Venezuela and Portugal. The laptop computers run on the open source operating system Linux, and the educational programs and software included in them is designed by Venezuelan engineers at the Ministry of Education and the National Center for Information Technology (CNTI).

While in Portugal last month, Chávez announced the purchase of an additional 1.5 million Canaima computers as well as plans to install a Canaima production plant in Venezuela.

Andean Meeting of Radio Communicators

2010-11-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

AMARC10 Conference Sets High Objectives for Community Radio Movement

2010-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

13 November 2010, La Plata, Argentina. The tenth Global Conference of Community Radio broadcasters, AMARC10, hosted by AMARC Argentina, gathered together more than 500 community radio broadcasters and stakeholders from 87 countries in la Plata, Argentina, in what was the first global conference to be held in South America. Speaking in the closing ceremony of AMARC 10, María Pía Matta, the new president of AMARC, called for increased solidarity for persecuted community radio broadcasters and deepening the social impact of community radio to face the challenges of humanity in the 21st Century.

The weeklong conference participated by grassroots broadcasters and activists and well-known freedom of expression advocates and communicators; adopted the la Plata declaration, elected the members of the international Board of Directors of AMARC global network; gave, in its sixth edition, the solidarity prize to the Haitian community radios for their role in supporting the population after the February 2010 earthquake. AMARC 10 also adopted the strategic lines of action for 2011-2014 assembling in part the rich content exchanges and recommendations from plenary, seminars and workshops on reinforcing the social impact of community radio in development, democratization and recognition of diversity of societies; on creating enabling environments for community radio development and; on ensuring social, economic and political sustainability of the sector at local, regional and international levels.
The new board of directors of AMARC following AMARC 10 is composed by:

Maria Pia Matta, President, Chile.
Emmanuel Boutterin, Deputy President, France.
Franklin Huizies, Treasurer, South Africa.
Marcelo Solervicens, Secretary General.
Maria Eugenia Chávez, Vicepresident for the Women International Network, Mexico.
Ashish Sen, Vicepresident for Asia-Pacific Region, India.
Oumar Seck Ndiaye, Vicepresident for Africa, Senegal.
Carlos Aparicio, Vicepresident for Latin America & Caribbean, Mexico.
Sony Esteus, Vicepresident, Haiti.
Silvia Richardson, Vicepresident, Canada.
Wilna Quarmine, Vice president, Ghana.
Sawsan Zaida, Vicepresident, Jordan.

The AMARC 10 Conference ended in the locality of Moron in symbolic homage to the memory of Argentina's disappeared during the latest military dictatorship in Argentina and recalling the importance of communication rights in building democratic societies. For further information, please visit http://amarc10.amarc.org
About AMARC:
AMARC is an international non-governmental organization serving the community radio movement in over 110 countries, and advocating for the right to communicate at the international, national, local and neighbourhood levels. AMARC has an International Secretariat in Montreal. It has regional sections in Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific and offices in Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Brussels, and Kathmandu. For more information, please contact us atsuman_basnet@asiapacific.amarc.org

Hofstra Communication Students Visit Democracy Now! Studio

2010-11-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Amy Goodman with journalism students from Mario Murillo's Hofstra class during a visit to the studio of the daily news program, Democracy Now!

An educational component has been added to this important news program: journalism and communication students can visit the studio and watch the preparation of the morning news program, and speak with the producers and technicians. This is not the mindless circus that the NBC Today Show holds at Rockefeller Center each morning, but an opportunity for an in-depth look at the research, preparation, graphic design and guest interviews of one of the most respected news organizations in the world. In addition of meeting the dedicated staff of Democracy Now!, the students often meet the world leaders who are interviewed live on the program. Interested teachers and international visitors should contact Democracy Now! for information. http://www.democracynow.org/get_involved/education

Journalists Held After Covering Safa Village Arson

2010-11-19T22:17:00.001-08:00

Hebron – PNN - Israeli forces held a group of journalists who tried to cover Wednesday’s settler assaults in the village of Safa, near Hebron.

KOAST RADIO SET TO MAKE WAVES IN NORTHUMBERLAND, UK

2010-11-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

People in Northumberland’s most heavily populated area will soon be able to listen to a new community radio station which eventually plans to broadcast to 140,000 homes. The fledgling Koast Radio station aims to offer a lively mix of music and talk, and help bridge the gap between public authorities and deprived communities in Blyth, Ashington, Cramlington and Morpeth.

It has just secured a £10,000 grant the National Lottery, Awards for All to help pay studio and equipment costs, and expects to receive a further £20,000 to £25,000 in the next couple of months.

The Koast Radio board has identified its own studio premises in Bedlington, and in about 5 weeks’ time people should be able to listen to its first output online, via its website. The station hopes to run two or three trial radio broadcasts early next year, before applying for a full-time FM licence from Ofcom later in 2011.

The Koast Radio website is currently being set up in readiness to stream content by the end of November or early December, but the long-term aim is to take to the airwaves with a mixture of 70% music and 30% talk.

Station manager Vicky Oakley, 38, who lives in Bedlington, gave up her job as an auditor with the county council in July to spearhead the project.

Radio bosses say the station aims to ‘make a difference’ to South East Northumberland and provide volunteering opportunities for disadvantaged teenagers and unemployed adults and are forging links with local councils and other statutory bodies. Yesterday Vicky said:

“I believe there is definitely a real need for a community radio station in this area. We want to bring communities together and feel this fits in well with David Cameron’s idea of a Big Society. We aim to bridge the gap between the authorities and local people by having debates and phone-ins about the issues, and make things more accessible in south east Northumberland. The area seems to have gone backwards, there is less hope around and we want to try to make things better.”

Koast Radio will look to work with local people, who will be given the chance to volunteer for roles both on and off-air. It is targeting 14 to 19-year-olds, from disadvantaged backgrounds, to help unleash their creative potential.

The station will also look to help adults who are unemployed, have not had a proper chance in life or who simply want a change of direction.

Vicky said:

“The online streaming will be our initial lifeline until we obtain a full FM licence. I gave up my job at the county council because I didn’t think I was making a difference any more. I believe this radio station can make a massive difference.”

From Journal Live:

PEOPLE in Northumberland’s most heavily populated area will soon be able to listen to a new community radio station which eventually plans to broadcast to 140,000 homes.

The fledgling Koast FM station aims to offer a lively mix of music and talk, and help bridge the gap between public authorities and deprived communities in Blyth, Ashington, Cramlington and Morpeth.

It has just secured a £10,000 grant from a national funding body to help pay studio and equipment costs, and expects to receive a further £20,000 to £25,000 in the next couple of months.

The Koast FM board has identified its own studio premises in Bedlington, and in about 10 weeks’ time people should be able to listen to its first output online, via a website.

The station hopes to run two or three trial radio broadcasts early next year, before applying for a full-time FM licence from Ofcom later in 2011.

The Koast FM website is currently being set up in readiness to stream content by the end of November or early December, but the long-term aim is to take to the airwaves with a mixture of 70% music and 30% talk.

Station manager Vicky Oakley, 38, who lives in Bedlington, gave up her job as an auditor with the county council in July to spearhead the project.

Radio bosses say the station aims to ‘make a difference’ to South East Northumberland and provide volunteering opportunities for disadvantaged teenagers and unemployed adults.

Yesterday Vicky said: “I believe there is definitely a real need for a community radio station in this area.

“We want to bring communities together and feel this fits in well with David Cameron’s idea of a Big Society. We aim to bridge the gap between the authorities and local people by having debates and phone-ins about the issues, and make things more accessible in south east Northumberland.

“The area seems to have gone backwards, there is less hope around and we want to try to make things better.”

Koast FM will look to work with local people, who will be given the chance to volunteer for roles both on and off-air. It is targeting 14 to 19-year-olds, from disadvantaged backgrounds, to help unleash their creative potential.

The station will also look to help adults who are unemployed, have not had a proper chance in life or who simply want a change of direction.

Vicky said: “The online streaming will be our initial lifeline until we obtain a full FM licence. I gave up my job at the county council because I didn’t think I was making a difference any more. I believe this radio station can make a massive difference.

“We will work with community groups, the police, local authorities, health service and other voluntary organisations who can use the station as a platform to communicate messages to the whole area.”

West Bedlington Town Council has donated £500 towards the website and funding bids have been made to other local town and parish councils.

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East Timor Radio Journalist at AMARC Meeting

2010-11-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

AMY GOODMAN: Democracy Now! is here in Argentina for the tenth World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters conference, an annual meeting of hundreds of community radio stations from around the world. It’s taking place this year just outside Buenos Aires in a city called La Plata. Among the broadcasters in attendance is Prezado Ximenes from Radio Lorico in East Timor. Nineteen years ago today, in the Timorese capital of Dili, he survived the Santa Cruz massacre, in which Indonesian soldiers gunned down more than 270 Timorese at a cemetery called teh Santa Cruz Cemetery.

PREZADO XIMENES: My name is Prezado Ximenes. When the massacre at Santa Cruz happened, I was 15 years old. So, at the moment, I also participated in the demonstration at the Santa Cruz place. When the Indonesian military tried to shoot the demonstrators, I got out from the Santa Cruz one minute before the shooting. So I survived, because I am—maybe this is my lucky.

AMY GOODMAN: Did you know people who were killed?

PREZADO XIMENES: Yeah, I know some of my friends.

AMY GOODMAN: It’s now 19 years later, and you’re back in East Timor. You live in Los Palos, and you run a radio station.

PREZADO XIMENES: Yeah.

AMY GOODMAN: Why is radio important to you?

PREZADO XIMENES: I think because through radio, I can express out what people think, what people feel.

AMY GOODMAN: Did you ever think East Timor would be free when you were on the road near the Santa Cruz cemetery on November 12, 1991, just before the Indonesian military opened fire?

PREZADO XIMENES: At the moment, I feel empty. I just feel afraid. But I have a big, big dream that we will get independence.

AMY GOODMAN: Timorese radio broadcaster Prezado Ximenes, speaking about the Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor that took place on November 12th, 1991. He is a survivor and now here in Argentina for the meeting of AMARC, hundreds of community radio broadcasters from around the world who have gathered to talk about the future of community media.